[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 77 (Monday, June 15, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S6343]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     RECOGNITION OF CHERYL POEPPING

 Mr. GRAMS. Mr. President, on behalf of all Minnesotans, I 
would like to congratulate Cheryl Poepping from Cold Spring, Minnesota. 
Cheryl was recently named the Minnesota state winner in the Citizens 
Flag Alliance Essay Contest. The topic of her award winning essay is 
``The American Flag Protection Amendment: A Right of the People . . . 
the Right Thing to Do.''
  I am submitting Cheryl's winning essay and ask that it be printed in 
the Record. I agree whole-heartedly with her endorsement of the flag 
protecting amendment and appreciate the words she chose to convey her 
message. Cheryl is an outstanding young American, and I am proud to 
count her among my constituents. Again, I offer my sincere 
congratulations.
  The essay follows:

The American Flag Protection Amendment: A Right of the People . . . the 
                           Right Thing to Do

                          (By Cheryl Poepping)

       Maj. Gen. Patrick Brady was quoted as saying, ``Neither the 
     ACLU nor the media gave us free speech--our veterans did.'' 
     For over 200 hundred years Americans had the right to protect 
     the flag but in the cases of Texas v. Johnson in 1989 and 
     U.S. v. Eichman in 1990 the court ended this power and stated 
     that it was a ``First Amendment right of citizens to burn 
     flags in protest.'' (Goldstein 85). This allowance undermines 
     the very thing that veterans strove for, freedom. Which is 
     why H.J. Res. 54 was introduced by Gerald Solomona. This 
     resolution is a constitutional amendment proposed to prohibit 
     the desecration of the flag (Packard http.). To many the flag 
     is not just a symbol but rather representation for all the 
     men who died defending and supporting this country. By 
     allowing this to continue we not only undermine 200 years of 
     history but we also destroy patriotism and respect for the 
     country and our veterans.
       The flag is a symbol of patriotism. Sown not only for those 
     living but those who have sacrificed to make this country 
     what it is. The flag is ``a beacon of democracy and hope in a 
     world plagued by turmoil and depression (Packard http).'' The 
     flag allows people to believe in the country and promotes a 
     level of respect for everything the country stands for. 
     Without patriotism the values of the country will decline. 
     Many feel the greatest tragedy in flag burning is the 
     mutilation of the values it embodies and the disrespect to 
     those who have sacrificed for those values (Brady http). This 
     amendment understands that when someone desecrates the flag, 
     such acts are perceived as attacks on patriotic self 
     sacrifice (Presser http).
       If you went to Arlington Cemetery how many men do you think 
     died defending a cause as noble as democracy? The answer is 
     obvious, all of them. They did not die to protect themselves 
     or even the ones they loved, but to protect all future 
     generations and to ensure what this country is based on 
     freedom. These veterans deserve the honor that defending the 
     flag has given them. To these veterans we will be saying with 
     the passage of the flag protection amendment that we will 
     honor them through not allowing the desecration of the symbol 
     they united in defense to protect. Protection of the flag 
     comes directly from the citizens where 80% support the 
     amendment (Presser http) stating that we as citizens feel 
     that ``You--the United States--have done a whole lot for us, 
     and therefore we are going to do this for you, we are going 
     to protect you against public indignity. (National Review 
     75).'' Maj. General Patrick Brady stated that, ``I hope they 
     (the voters) will have the compassion to defer to those great 
     blood donors to our freedom, those men and women we honor on 
     Veterans Day, many whose final earthy embrace was in the 
     folds of Old Glory.'' This quote emphasizes the importance of 
     this symbol to our veterans and our country, displaying the 
     need for its protection.
       Many oppose the constitutional amendment saying for the 
     first time in history they are limiting the freedoms of 
     Americans. This is not true. It is not a dagger struck out at 
     the first amendment, but rather a indication that popular 
     sovereignty is vital and active in this country. This 
     question demonstrates the struggle over what kind of country 
     we want to be (Presser http). The First Amendment has come to 
     protect many ideals that when it was written it has no 
     intention of protecting. The proposed amendment would merely 
     clarify that the First Amendment never presupposed citizens 
     the right to desecrate the flag (National Review 76). Flag 
     burning is not speech. It is an act that has no association 
     with the first amendment or what it preserves (Brady 
     http). In fact in the 1880's the initial flag protection 
     acts were institutionalized and later in 1984 extended 
     laws were enacted to safeguard our flag from intentional 
     public desecration (Packard http). Let it be understood 
     that such champions of liberty such as Earl Warren and 
     Hugo Black expressed their opinions that flag desecration 
     was not protected under the First Amendment (Presser 
     http).
       Flag desecration is an act that does not represent anything 
     wholesome or respectable about our country. We as citizens of 
     this country now have the opportunity to amend this injustice 
     done to us by the passage of The American Flag Protection 
     Amendment. All responsible citizens should voice the opinion 
     that flag desecration goes against the ideas the United 
     States was conceived to uphold. The First Amendment was never 
     designed to allow these grossly offensive acts to occur. This 
     amendment would uphold the honor bestowed on those that 
     fought for this country. It would allow the loved ones of 
     those who died to know that this country is noble and worth 
     sacrificing their life for. As Stephen B. Presser stated 
     ``Disrespect, division, an disunity are not characteristic of 
     a lovable people.'' With the passage of this amendment we 
     will prove not only to ourselves but also to the world that 
     the United States does not exemplify any of these negative 
     characteristics.


                              biliography

       ``Burn the Flag? Well, No.'' National Review. 9 June 1995: 
     75-76.
       Brady, Maj. Gen. Patrick (USArmy-Ret.) ``The Lost Legacy of 
     our Veterans''. http://www.cfa-inc.org/edit 11.htm
       ``Dooley Votes For Constitutional Amendment on Flag 
     Desecration.'' http://www.house.gov/dooley/flagamend.html (17 
     Dec. 1997).
       Goldstein, Robert Justin. ``This Flag Is Not For Burning.'' 
     The Nation 18 July 1994: 85-86.
       Packard, Ron. ``Statement Hon. Ron Packard,'' http://
www.house.gov/packard/flag6-12.htm (12 Dec. 1997).
       Presser, Stephen. ``Why the Flag Amendment is a Really 
     Great Idea.'' http://www.cfa-inc.org/edit10.htm.>

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